Messi named in list of Argentina probables for June fixtures
Forward Lionel Messi was named in Argentina's 28-player preliminary squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, after an injury forced him to miss the fixtures against Uruguay and Brazil in March.
Defending champions Argentina, who are set to play Chile and Colombia in June, have already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup in Messi's absence following a 1-0 win over Uruguay in March, before thrashing rivals Brazil 4-1.
'It's a shame to miss these two very special matches with the national team against Uruguay and Brazil," Messi wrote in an Instagram story after he was forced to withdraw with a groin strain.
"As always, I wanted to be there, but at the last moment, a not-so-serious injury that forces me to rest for a while before returning to play kept me out.'
Messi returned to action for Inter Miami later in the month and has scored six goals in all competitions for the club since then.
The 37-year-old is also set to play in the Club World Cup, where Miami kick off their campaign on June 14, four days after Argentina play Colombia.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has also included Nottingham Forest midfielder Nicolas Dominguez, who last appeared for Argentina in 2021.
Defender Valentin Barco and attacker Valentin Castellanos, who have not played for Argentina since last year, have also been named in the list.
ARGENTINA PRELIMINARY SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille) and Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven).
Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (RC Lens), Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais) and Valentin Barco (Strasbourg).
Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico), Thiago Almada (Lyon), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) and Nicolas Paz (Como).
Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julian Alvarez (Atletico), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Valentin Castellanos (Lazio), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico) and Angel Correa (Atletico).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
'Hand of Neymar' earns Brazilian red card in potential Santos send off
Neymar has spoken about the impact Diego Maradona had on his career after meeting him as a child but his bid to emulate the late Argentine great's "Hand of God" goal backfired on Sunday when he was sent off in what could be his last game for Santos. With Santos and Botafogo locked at 0-0 heading into the last 15 minutes of their Brazilian league game, Neymar launched himself at a rebound in the penalty area and steered the ball into the net with his hand. The Brazilian was quickly surrounded by furious Botafogo players before the referee flashed a second yellow card at the forward, cutting short his first start for the club since he made his return from injury last month. Rubbing salt into the wound, Botafogo scored with four minutes left to secure a 1-0 victory. The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris St Germain attacker later apologised to his team and fans. "I made a mistake, forgive me!" he posted on social media. "Today, if I hadn't been sent off, I'm sure we would have gotten the three points. You can count these three points against me!" Neymar had returned to his boyhood club Santos in January after a stint at Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, with his contract at the Brazilian side running until June 30. The red card rules him out of Santos's match against Fortaleza on Thursday, meaning he will only be able to play for the club again if he extends his contract before the league's resumption in July following the Club World Cup. Santos are 18th in the league having lost seven of their 11 matches.
CNA
10 hours ago
- CNA
Platense claim first Argentine Apertura title after 1-0 win over Huracan
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina :Platense secured their first top-flight Argentine Apertura tournament title on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Huracan thanks to a second-half goal from Guido Mainero. Platense's first major trophy since promotion in 2021 followed a brilliant run as giant-killers, led by the coaching duo of Sergio Gomez and Favio Orsi. "It's crazy, but we were convinced we could do it. The only thing I would have liked is to celebrate it with my father, it is a very big emotion. It cost us a lot to get here, but to be champions we had to beat them all and that's what we did," coach Orsi told broadcaster ESPN after the match. Regarded as a dark horse, the Argentine side, who have spent over two decades oscillating between the lower divisions, ended Racing Club's six-game unbeaten run in the round of 16, shocked River Plate in a penalty shootout at the Monumental Stadium, and edged past San Lorenzo 1–0 in the semi-finals. In a tense match at the packed Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Huracan dominated the early stages. Agustin Urzi drove them forward in the first half, while Eric Ramirez came closest to scoring with a header from a Matko Miljevic cross. UNDERDOGS Platense, who surprised many by sneaking into the knockout stages with a sixth-place finish in Group B, broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark. Mainero's unstoppable long-range shot, capitalising on a rebound from an Ignacio Vazquez header, went past Huracan goalkeeper Hernan Galindez and ultimately secured the win. "I couldn't believe it when the ball went in, it was amazing. It's thanks to the group, to the team, to these people, to our fans, it's pure happiness. We are a humble group and I think we deserved it for everything we did in the tournament," Mainero said. "I dedicate this goal to my wife and my daughters who are there when things go wrong, of course also to my father, my brother and some friends who came today." Huracan failed to find an equaliser, and Walter Mazzantti's injury, which halted the game for a few minutes, ended their hopes of winning the domestic league for the first time in over 50 years.
CNA
14 hours ago
- CNA
Inter's Acerbi withdraws from Italy squad citing lack of respect
MUNICH, Germany : Inter Milan's veteran defender Francesco Acerbi withdrew from the Italy squad on Sunday, the day after his club's humbling defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, citing a lack of respect from manager Luciano Spalletti. Acerbi has not played for Italy since November 2023, but after his recent exploits with Inter - where he scored an equaliser in their semi-final with Barcelona - Spalletti named him in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The 37-year-old's announcement comes immediately following Inter's 5-0 loss in Munich on Saturday, but Acerbi, who spoke with Spalletti on Sunday morning, said this had nothing to do with his decision. "I felt that, in light of recent events, the conditions to continue this path peacefully do not exist today," Acerbi said in a social media post. "I don't seek alibis or favours, I demand respect. And if this respect is lacking on the part of those who should lead a group, then I prefer to step aside. "I've always given everything, but I don't stay where I'm no longer really wanted and it's clear that I'm not part of the manager's project." Acerbi did not clarify what this lack of respect referred to. Earlier, Spalletti spoke about the player's decision at a press conference on Sunday, before Acerbi's statement. "For me Acerbi has value, we knew he had some physical problems, he had been operated on, I had given space at the time to other defenders too," the coach said. In March, after Italy exited the Nations League at the quarter-final stage to Germany, when Spalletti was asked by a reporter if he would consider calling up Acerbi, the manager responded with a question of his own. "Do you know how old Acerbi is?" Spalletti asked. Italy begin their World Cup Group I qualifying campaign away to Norway on June 6, before hosting Moldova three days later, having failed to reach the last two tournaments.
